Olivia Laureijs shrugs off the notion that a male-dominated industry is one to shy away from.

SA国际影视传媒淚 want something that challenges me and I think that if you want to be great, you have to be willing to go above what other people have done,SA国际影视传媒� said the Ecole St. Patrick student on Friday.

SA国际影视传媒淕oing into a male-dominated field would be a way to do that.SA国际影视传媒�

Laureijs, who is in Grade 12, was one of about 45 young women from high schools in Yellowknife and Behchoko who attended a lunch and presentation by De Beers at Diamante Restaurant last week.

The event was aimed at young women interested in science, technology, engineering and math SA国际影视传媒� also known as STEM fields.

De Beers wants to show young women that mining isn't just for boys.

Right now, about 20 per cent of positions at De Beers are occupied by women, the company's target market however, is around 90-per-cent women, said Allan Rodel, general manager of Gahcho Kue Mine

The lunch was part of the company's push to increase diversity in its ranks.

Rodel said studies have shown that gender parity in leadership positions is SA国际影视传媒渕assively beneficialSA国际影视传媒� for a company's bottom line.

SA国际影视传媒淣ot only does it talk to our client base, but it actually talks to business. It's the right thing to do for business,SA国际影视传媒� said Rodel.

Part of that push includes offering De Beers-sponsored scholarships to the University of Waterloo for young women entering STEM areas of study.

The company also reached out to principals in Yellowknife and Behcheko, and asked them to identify students interested in STEM to attend the lunchtime presentation.

The young women watched a slide show describing the different jobs available at a mine, and were introduced to some of the women who do those jobs.

DeBeers wants more women in every role, said Rodel, from environmentalists to electricians.

Laureijs hadn't considered a career in mining before Friday.

SA国际影视传媒淣ow I see that there are lots of opportunities for women in the mines and there's lots of opportunities to do things like engineering and science and even wildlife stuff, so that was interesting,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Though she doesn't know yet exactly what field she will go into, Laureijs said it's important that she does something she loves and something that will make a difference in the world.

De Beers is set on hiring Northern women specifically.

SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of our socio-economic agreement levers talk to employment in the north,SA国际影视传媒� said Rodel.

SA国际影视传媒淲e want to give back to the North.SA国际影视传媒�

At the end of the presentation, the young women were given De Beers T-shirts.

Laureijs said a career in mining is something she SA国际影视传媒渨ould be willing to do.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 really like the lifestyle,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淵ou get to do two weeks in, two weeks out and you get to be out on the land and do a lot of field work, which is something you don't get in a lot of other science jobs.SA国际影视传媒�